>> GOT TO THE THE SPOT --
[INAUDIBLE]
MARIA: ALL RIGHT, WELCOME BACK.
BIG THREE BASKETBALL LEAGUE
REPORTEDLY ABOUT TO MAKE SOME
BIG MOVES TO FRANCHISING.
CEO AND COFOUNDER ICE CUBE IS IN
TALKS WITH OUTSIDE INVESTORS TO
SELL SOME OF THE LEAGUE’S 12 THE
BASKETBALL TEAMS.
ICE CUBE JOINS ME RIGHT NOW.
CUBE, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
FIRST, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
SUCCESS OF BIG THREE.
AMAZING WHAT YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO
DO.
CAN YOU TELL US HOW THINGS ARE
EVOLVING?
CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT, IN FACT,
YOU’RE BEGINNING TO SELL SOME
TEAMS?
>> APPRECIATE IT, MARIA.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WE’VE BEEN AT THIS
THING FOR SEVEN YEARS NOW.
WE’VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT, YOU
KNOW, THE LEAGUE WOULD
CENTRALIZE, ALL THE TEAMS WERE
OWNED BY THE LEAGUE UP UNTIL
THIS POINT, AND WE WANTED TO
MAKE SURE THE SPORT STUCK AND
THAT WE KID THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE
WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE GAMES
WERE GREAT, THE RULES WORKED,
THE COMPETITION WAS HIGH AND THE
LEAGUE WAS MOVING IN THE RIGHT
CORRECTION.
BEFORE WE STARTED TO SELL TEAMS,
YOU KNOW?
WE REALLY INVENTED THIS FROM
SCRATCH IN A LOT OF WAYS,
INVENTING THE PRO VERSION OF
BIG3.
SO IT’S GREAT NOW THAT WE’RE AT
POINT, YOU KNOW, LEAGUE’S GOING
TO BE IN PROFIT THIS YEAR.
SO WE’RE AT A POINT WHERE IT’S
I’M TO SELL TEAMS, IT’S TIME TO
CONNECT TEAMS WITH CITIES AND
REALLY START TO HONE IN THE FAN
BASE.
NOW WE CAN HAVE THE TEAMS IN THE
COMMUNITY.
WE CAN COTHINGS WITH THE9 -- DO
THINGS WITH THE TEAM TO HELP
MAKE THE COMMUNITY BETTER.
SO IT’S JUST PART OF OUR OVERALL
PROGRAM THAT WE’VE BEEN DOING
WITH CONTRACT WITH BRACH AMERICA
YOU KNOW, WE’VE DONE SOME THINGS
WITH THE NML THAT’S GREAT --
NFL.
NOW WE’RE GOING TO DO THINGS
WITH OUR LEAGUE IN THE THESE
CITIES, SO IT’S JUST AMAZING.
AND LOOK, IN OCTOBER WE WERE
CERTIFIED BY THAT WE’RE A
CERTIFIED BLACK-OWNED LEAGUE,
THE ONLY ONE IN AMERICA.
SO WE WANT TO DO A LOT OF
THINGS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
LEAGUE OTHER THAN JUST PLAY THE
GAME.
MARIA: YEAH.
I MEAN, THIS IS NOT ONLY
SPURRING GROWTH FOR THE BIG3,
THIS IS ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE
AN IMPACT ON SOME OF THE CITIES
THAT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT SO MUCH
THAT ARE ACTUALLY TROUBLED IN
TERMS OF CRIME, IN TERMS OF
HOMELESSNESS.
CUBE, WHAT ARE THE MOST
IMPORTANT CITIES THAT YOU WANT
TO TARGET HERE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE
WANT TO KEEP THINGS UNDER OUR
HAT A LITTLE BIT, BUT, YOU KNOW,
WE’VE BEEN TALKING TO AT LEAST
THREE CITIES, YOU KNOW, A FEW OF
THEM ON THE EAST COAST.
IT’S BEEN GREAT BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, THE OWNERSHIP THAT WE’RE
LOOKING FOR ARE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE
LOOKING FOR CREDIBLE OWNERS, YOU
KNOW?
I CAN’T SAY WHO WE’VE BEEN
TALKING TO BECAUSE OF OUR --
MARIA: OKAY.
>> BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT, YOU
KNOW, WE’VE BEEN TALKING TO
OWNERS OF TEAMS, YOU KNOW?
>> SOME MLB, NFL.
WE WANT REAL OWNERS, GUYS WHO
KNOW HOW TO PROMOTE THE SPORT IN
THEIR CITY, A GUY WHO KNOWS THE
CITY OR NOT JUST A GUY, BUT, YOU
KNOW, INVESTORS WHO ARE FAMILIAR
WITH THE CITIES AND VERY ACTIVE
IN THE CITIES THAT THEY’RE IN.
MARIA: YEAH, OKAY.
>> SO THAT’S PART OF OUR OVERALL
PLAN, YOU KNOW?
MARIA: WELL, I MEAN, CUBE, IT
COULD NOT COME AT A BETTER TIME
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON
IN OUR BIG CITIES, CUBE.
A RECENT POLL SHOWS OVER 70% OF
AMERICANS THINK THE COUNTRY IS
ON THE WRONG TRACK, OKAY?
AND THAT’S BECAUSE OF WITH
CRIME, IT’S BECAUSE OF A WIDE
OPEN BORDER, IT’S BECAUSE OF
HOMELESSNESS ON THE STREETS AND,
OF COURSE, LET’S NOT FORGET
DRUGS, ILLICIT DRUGS, FENTANYL.
SO WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON ALL OF
THESE PEOPLE BASICALLY WORRIED
ABOUT OUR COUNTRY, WORRIED THAT
THE COUNTRY’S ON THE WRONG
TRACK?
>> HEY, MAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK
THEY SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW?
THE COUNTRY IS, YOU KNOW, VERY
UNEASY RIGHT NOW.
AND EVERYBODY GOTTA THE DO THEIR
PART, YOU KNOW?
THE BIG3, WE’RE GOING FROM CITY
TO CITY THIS YEAR, SO WE’RE NOT
IN OUR BUBBLE LIKE WE HAVE BEEN
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, SO
WE’RE GOING TO BE ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY THIS SUMMER.
HOPEFULLY, MAKING CITIES A
LITTLE BETTER THAN WE FOUND ’EM
WHEN WE LEAVE.
AND SO THAT’S OUR PLAN.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE EVERYBODY’S
PLAN.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GOTTA LOOK
IN THE MIRROR AND SAY WHAT CAN I
DO THE MAKE THINGS BETTER.
THAT’S THE ONLY WAY IT’S GOING
TO CHANGE.
MARIA: CUBE, WHEN DO YOU THINK
YOU’RE GOING OF THE NEWS FOR US
IN TERMS OF THE OFFICIAL SALES
OF SOME OF THESE TEAMS
SOMEWHAT’S THE PROCESS IN
TERMSES OF TIMING FROM -- WHAT’S
THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF TIMING
FROM YOUR STANDPOINT?
>> HOPEFULLY VERY SOON.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE GOING THROUGH
SOME DILL GENESEE, AND WE’RE
JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE GOT
THE RIGHT OWNERS, THE RIGHT
TEAM, THE RIGHT CITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST
PUSHING FORWARD.
SO IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS YOU’LL
START HEARING THINGS COME OUT,
HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE AN
ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE SEASON
AND LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW MANY NEW
OWNERS, WHAT CITIES THEY’RE
GOING TO, YOU KNOW?
AND WE’RE GOING TO BE VERY
SELECTIVE.
WE’RE ONLY SELLING FOUR TEAMS
NOW, SO WE’RE BEING VERY
SELECTIVE BECAUSE WE WANT TO
START OFF WITH THE RIGHT GROUP
OF OWNERS SO THIS LEAGUE CAN
GROW AND FLOURISH.
MARIA: ALL RIGHT.
FANTASTIC.
WE’RE GOING TO BE WATCHING
AUTOOF THAT, AND WE HOPE YOU’LL
JOIN ME WHEN YOU’VE GOT MORE
NEWS TO REPORT.
CUBE, IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU, AS